


Thicker Than Blood

by orphan_account



Series: Safe Haven [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Beach City, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/F, F/M, Family, Fanfiction, Pre-Canon, Sacrifice, Teen Pregnancy, Teen Romance, Teenagers, The Wash (Steven Universe), True Love, Visions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 01:02:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15618984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Claire Lopez is a normal high school student until one night she finds dying Rose Quartz in the forest. From that moment on, everything changed in her life.Rebellion leader, Rose Quartz, had no option but to flee from the temple after Homeworld attacked. Lost in the forest and separated from her tether, she knows that she has very little time left and her last hope is giving the most precious thing to the young organic being in the woods, and have her become the safe haven that was needed.Unknown to the girl that once she met Rose Quartz, she set in motion her destiny and meeting a certain blue gem that would change everything for her.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I do not own any of the photos that is being used in in this fanfiction unless I out right say the picture being used is my piece of art.





	1. Chaper One

**Author's Note:**

> Main character, Claire Lopez, goes to help a stranger but passes out before she can.

**I do not own the photo being used. It belongs to dragoplateau.tumblr.com.**

Claire woke up with a jerk, shaken by the echo of her nightmare. She could still hear the low growling as a low rumble of thunder washed through the dark room. Shivering, the girl listened for any sound but found it dead silent with only the thumping of her heart for comfort. When unexpectedly hairs on the back of the neck stood up and a wave of dread washed over her.

She didn’t know how to explain it but it wasn’t the storm brewing or her nightmare that had woken up. There was something in the darkness that provoked the flight or fight mechanisms. Gripping her quilt with her clammy hands, she strained to pick up any movement in the pitch blackness of her small room. For certain, she didn’t want to be caught by this creature. There would be no way to defend herself with just her quilt for protection.

Hello?” she called out, violently shivering from fear. The atmosphere that normally filled with fear of her father but now it felt off. It was like there was something out in the darkness, waiting for when she was back asleep. When she would be helpless and defenseless, so it could pounce.

Claire was not prepared for when a shadowy figure of a broad-shouldered woman lumbered into the room. She sat frozen in her spot but still found her eyes wandering to her swollen stomach that seemed to slow the figure down.

“Rose,” a masculine voice called down the hallway, causing Claire to whimper in terror. “Rose, where are you?”

There was no way that two people could suddenly come into her bedroom without waking up her father or mother. Unless her parents no longer cared about her safety, which would not be surprising. They didn’t give two nickels about her if it wasn’t outside of the house.

Gripping tighter onto her quilt, she froze in blazing horror as the shadowy figure slowly turned around. She paused when she saw the teen looking at her. The figure stared at her with blank, distant black eyes and slowly reached towards her with a long, ghostly white hand.

Claire sucked in a deep breath, preparing to scream if she had to. But before she could release her scream there was a loud roar and a dark shadow practically flew in front of Claire. With a mighty scream, the woman disappeared. Once the room grew dark once more. She just sat there, too dazed to figure out what had just happened.

“CLAIRE!” The enraged voice of her father snapped her back to the present as the door flew open. Instantly, the dark room was lit up by the bright, blinding light. Squeaking in surprise, Claire covered her eyes, trying to shield them from the brightness. “What did I tell you of waking us up!?”

Trembling, she dared herself to peek from the cracks of her fingers. Her father loomed over her with the black leather belt in his right hand and his left arm around her mother, Fernanda Lopez. Both of them looked pist over the fact that the girl had woken them up just a few mere hours after getting to sleep. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, hoping to deflate the situation. “I had another nightmare.”

“We don’t care about your fucking nightmares,” Fernanda sneered, glaring coldly at her upset daughter. “All we want is able to sleep for eight hours without getting disturbed. Is that too hard to ask for?”

Edwardo glanced at his wife with his brown eyes, amusement pricking across them. “What do we do to bad children?” he asked his wife.

“S-stop. Please…” Claire pressed herself against the back of her headboard, trying to find a way to escape. There wasn’t much. Her father was blocking the end of the bed and her mother the door. Glancing to her right, she saw her bedroom window opened partly. She thought of throwing herself through it in the vain hope to survive but her bedroom was in the attack of a three story building. There would be no way to survive.

Edwardo moved in closer, snapping the belt to add to the effect just to increase his daughter’s fear. Her eyes grew wide and dilated as the realization began to set in. There was no place for her to hide and the kick to the stomach wouldn’t do anything to her father like it did to her mother. Shaking, she did the only thing she knew who would be there to protect her but it was in vain hope. “Nana,” she wailed, slick tears rolling down her face. There was no way her aging grandmother could hear her all the way down in her first floor bedroom. “Nana! Help me!”

Fernanda let out a bitter laugh. “Your precious Nana won’t be able to protect you this time,” she hissed, almost sending Claire diving to hide under the covers. “She is out cold from the medicine I gave her. Poor Claire. She must face the punishment that she earned.”

Claire flinched, nearly losing the grip on the cold, golden loops that were her only protect if her father grabbed her. “GO away,” she snapped, trying to sound like a fierce lioness but only found herself to be like a weak, tiny kitten. “You promised Nana that you wouldn’t hurt me anymore!”

While she was yelling, the girl didn’t notice her father coming up from the side and throwing her hard to the wooden ground. “I have enough of your bratty attitude,” he growled, stepping back to allow his wife to pull off her shirt and left her in her underwear and bra. “Pin her down.”

“Mommy,” Claire begged as she pinned her down. “Please stop! Please Mommy!”

Edwardo messed with the belt until the metal buckle was out. “Learn your place,” he ordered, raising her hand and smacked the metal piece hard down onto her neck.

“Nana!” Claire screamed in pain and tried to move away. “Nana! Help me Make them stop!”

Fernanda rolled her eyes as she stared down at her daughter. It was just a few smacks with the belt and she was sobbing as if she was getting stabbed by a knife.

“You will learn your lesson!” Edwardo shouted, bringing the belt now down now onto her back. “You are in our house and will follow our rules! This behavior you are displaying is very disrespectful and childish. You are fifteen now and should act like an adult! For acting like a child, you will be punished until you earn your lesson and no longer treat me and your mother with respect.”

“Please stop,” she begged, crying out in agony as she felt the metal dig into the back of her legs. “Please. I’ll behave! I’ll do what you tell me!”

“Edwardo!” the voice of her mother caused Claire to sob harder. “I think she had enough.” Fernanda released her and stood up. “Let’s leave her to her sobbing and the pain. The infection of the cuts will teach her a lesson.”

Edwardo drew the belt one more time, forcing his daughter onto her back and bringing it down over her right eye. An ear piercing scream could be heard around the house as the couple left the room, leaving their daughter sobbing and begging for her Nana to come.

Claire didn’t know how long she lay on the ground in whimpering pain before she found the courage to move. She knew it was going to be painful but the girl had to bandage up the cuts before they got infected. Clamping her jaw shut, she sat up, tears streaming down her face. Her entire body felt like it was on fire as she got to her hand and knees.

Stomach dropping, she looked at the clock that had happen off of her side table in the struggle. It was only 12:18. Everything she had gone through had only been fifteen minutes. There was no way that was possible. It felt like hours that she had been laying out on the floor. Shaking, she grabbed onto the only comfort item she wanted, her quilt. Nana had made the quilt for her since she was going to enter high school in two days. It was the only thing that made her feel safe and protected.

 She was about to drift onto sleep when a flash of a moaning woman, laying on the ground, crashed through her mind. Jerking up, the girl fought back tears. She had totally forgot about the woman. With everything she had gone through, Claire had almost fallen asleep without even thinking of what her actions would cause to the woman.

A shiver ran through her as she forced herself to pause a few moments to put her dress on. Maybe if she helped this woman, she and the guy would allow Claire to go with them to somewhere safe. All she wanted was to leave this place and never come back.

After getting dressed, she pulled her messenger bag off of her desk, flinching when it fell to the ground with a low thud. On a bated breath, she waited for her parents to burst into the room and punish her for making a single sound. When a few minutes had passed, the raven haired girl crawled across the hallway to the bathroom.

She clutched tightly onto the counter top as the teen hoisted herself to her feet. Legs shaking, she flicked the light on. What would she need to help the injured woman? By her vision, Claire saw that she wasn’t bleeding but bleeding wounds and bruises could easily be hidden beneath clothes. She had enough experience of her practicing that whenever she left the house and was seen by anyone that didn’t live in their house.

Guided by instinct, she opened the medicine cabinet and two her dismay found her supplies were low. There was only a small layer of liquid left in the Peroxide bottle and a few bandages. Sighing, she placed them into her messenger bag and looked down at the toilet. Biting her lip, Claire grabbed two of the bigger rolls of toilet paper and placed them into her bag.

Dizzy, Claire closed the cupboard and caught to catch her breath. It wasn’t until she heard footsteps approaching the bathroom did she move into action. Shivering, she shakily placed her bag into the bathtub, pulling the shower curtain to hide her bag. Stumbling, the small teen went over to the sink, turning on the water with shaky hands.

If she had been in her right mind, Claire would have noticed that the footsteps where coming from the wrong end of the hallway to be her parents and were much too light. She would have quickly noticed that it was her Nana but at the moment she was not in a good state of health and was ruled by fear.

“Claire,” came the raspy voice of her Nana, Angie Ortega. The bathroom door was pushed open party as her had popped in. Her Nana’s normal corn silk glacier blond hair was a mess of spikes sticking up in the air. The elderly woman blinked her light eyes, trying to figure out why her granddaughter would be up such at a late hour and shivering. “What you are doing, baby? You have school tomorrow and should be sleeping.” As she spoke, she reached out and placed her icy hand upon the flaming forehead of Claire. “You are burning up. What happened baby?”

“I was bad,” she said simply, sniffling.

Nana withdrew her hand, understanding. “Go lay down, baby,” she said, turning the water of. “I’ll call you in sick than we can stay in my room and watch The Golden Girls or even Sponge Bob. You still like that show?

Claire nodded,” the fifteen-year-old said. “I’ll be going back to bed soon, Nana. I promise.”

“Don’t stay up too late,” Nana said, closing the door as she walking down the hallway, going back to her bedroom.

Once her footsteps faded, Claire stared at the mirror. Her normally pale cheeks her bright and rosy with her right eye swollen shut from what her father did earlier “Sorry Nana,” she whispered, retrieving her messenger bag with no difficulty. She found no damage to be done to the contents of the bag but the bag itself was damp. “I won’t be able to keep that promise. I’ll make it up to you one of these days.”

Closing the bathroom door behind her, she stumbled down the hallway, carefully trying not to step on the wooden patches in the floor. Her parents had bought an old house that was made in the 1800’s and everything was starting to fall apart. Most of the carpet had patches that exposed the wood underneath and the stairs looked like they were ready to cave in.

It didn’t take her long to get down the steps to the main floor of the house and into the resting room that led its way to the kitchen. Walking past the wicker baskets, the young girl stopped, turning around and checking to make sure that none of the workers or her parents were awake or coming to find her.

Once she saw no one coming, she crossed the worn down carpet and headed towards the entrance but only to pause when she saw a framed photo of her and her parents. Claire waked over to the wall and looked at it. The picture had been of her when she had been only days old. She still had the hospital bracelet on her arm and her mother still looked worn down. But both of their faces shined with love and joy over the newest arrival of their family.

“I was so young when this was taken,” she whispered to herself, eyes tearing up. “Things had changed since then and are just getting worse.”

Once she had turned four, her father had turned from a caring, loving man to a wife-beater but it wasn’t until she was six when he turned abusive against his daughter. It started out small with a little game called “Mirror Shame.” He would make her stand in front of a mirror for hours and hours, saying, “I Am a Bad Girl,” over and over until she thought that she learned her lesson. Mirror Shame only had lasted for a week or two but it was like a piece of pie as the years went on. As she grew older, Edwardo, would refuse to feed her over a stretch of certain days unless she was a perfect little angel or did a set number of task before he returned home from his desk job at the police office.

Claire was so focused on looking at the photo, she didn’t hear her father walking down the hallway until she heard the groaning of stairs. She immediately knew it was her father. He always woke up around 12:20 to “checkup” on her and make sure that she as behaving. “Fernanda,” he cried in an outraged voice, anger lashing out at the poor girl’s fears. “The girl is gone! Hurry up!”

From where she stood, Claire could pick up a few words from inside of her room with the door closed. “Brat…find…watch…no more…baby…money…useless!”4

Face scrunching up in confusion, she shook her head and placed the photo into her bag. Once she was done treating the woman, she would be back and would explain everything to her parents and deal with the punishment if she came back. Hurrying across the resting room and skidded to a halt in front of the fridge.

Looking at it, she wondered if that she should bring some food with her and a few drinks to prove to the woman that she wasn’t a burden but a recourse. It would ‘t do any good for her if she got rejected and sent back to the house. Slipping a few things into her bag, she walked towards the entrance of the house that led out to a side lot that would lead to the woods.

The air was chilly as the fifteen-year-old walked out of her house, only wearing a long night shirt for protection against the winter cold. She didn’t know what was more foolish: trying to help a woman that she never met or spoken to before or going outside in the middle of winter with barely any clothes on and no shoes for her feet.

‘Too late to turn back,’ she thought, plunging into the waist high snow from the last icy step of the porch. ‘They’ll be able to track me in the morning if I am not back by then if they want to that is.’

+++

The raven haired girl wrapped her thin arms tighter around her shivering frame as she caught glimpse of the first rays of dawn. Teeth chattering, she panted as she leaned against a tree for support. The teen could feel her blood sugar becoming low but found her cans of pop frozen. "Just keep walking," she whispered. "Just keep walking. Just keep walking."

In the distance, she could hear soft moans that were followed by labored breathes as if the creature was close to dying. "Greg," the person wheezed, bursting out into sputtering coughs. "Greg help..."

This is the area in my vision!

Claire fumbled with her messenger bag as she tried to find the small keychain flashlight that she always kept in it. Even with the sun starting to rise, the woods would remain dark for few more hours because of the barrier of branch blocking out the sun. After a few minutes of searching, she found it at the frozen corner of her bag. Turning it on, she saw large, bare human footsteps that were starting to fill up with fresh powder. ‘She went this way.’

“Hello! Is somebody out there!”

Claire didn’t even recognize her own voice. It was scratchy and hollow as she stood there. She wanted to call louder but she felt herself swaying. If she didn’t get back to the house soon, she would not be found alive in the snow but ready to go six feet under.

Shaking, she pushed her icy hand against a stiff, branch of a bush. As the girl continued deeper into the show, she struggled to keep her flashlight on and focused on the ground ahead of her.

“Is anyone there?” she repeated, forcing herself to speak louder.

“Please help,” the person wheezed, breath labored and uneven.

Shaking, Claire followed the voice into a shallow pond with the ice starting to break up. Lips turning blue, she slowly waded into the water and went over to the other end where a large, clearly pregnant woman laid with her upper body out of the water and her lower half in.

“Hello,” she repeated, cautiously approaching the woman. “Are you okay? If not, what can I do to help?”

The woman raised an arm, reaching out towards her and the light. “Just come here,” she begged, voice growing softer. “Please just come here.”

As the light came on the woman’s face, Claire's mouth dropped. She was almost transparent and starting to turn blue. “H-h-how,” she gasped, staggering backwards and dropping her only source of light into the icy waters below her. “Who are you? What are you?”

“Rose,” the masculine voice called again, sounding closer than before. “Rose, where are you?”

The woman, known as Rose, glanced in the direction of the cowering girl. “It’s okay,” she whispered, holding up her fading hand as the frightened teen scurried backwards. “I am in no shape to attack you. Please come here.”

Claire gulped, brown eyes darkening as she crawled towards the woman. All her instincts were telling her to flee and run but she knew better. This woman needed some kind of help or she and the baby would die. Claire knew some first aid and needed to help in some way. “What can I do to help,” she repeated, spotting a man in his mid-twenties stop at the edge of the area where the ground gave away to icy waters.

“This... “The woman reached a hand towards her stomach as a bright burst of light lit up the forest.

Claire hissed in terror and tried to flinch away but found herself unable. It was like some invisible force was holding her in place and refused to let her go. “Stop,” she begged as pain began to blossom at her stomach. “It hurts!” With one final cry of pain, Claire went limp and collapsed face first into the icy waters.

Once the girl fell, the light faded and let a hollow, ghostly figure of Rose Quartz. Feeling her energy waning, the rebellion leader turned to look at her human tether. “Take care of them, Greg,” she whispered. “She carries the most precious thing to you and the Crystal Gems. Take care of them…”

 

 

**What do you think of Claire?**

**Any ideas of what may have happened?**

**And answer time:**

**Would you help Rose Quartz if you found her the way Claire did? Yes or No, and why?**


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire Lopez is a normal high school student until one night she finds dying Rose Quartz in the forest. From that moment on, everything changed in her life. 
> 
> Rebellion leader, Rose Quartz, had no option but to flee from the temple after Homeworld attacked. Lost in the forest and separated from her tether, she knows that she has very little time left and her last hope is giving the most precious thing to the young organic being in the woods, and have her become the safe haven that was needed.
> 
> Unknown to the girl that once she met Rose Quartz, she set in motion her destiny and meeting a certain blue gem that would change everything for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Claire wakes up and meets new people.

Claire let out a scream as she jerked up from where she lay. Heart thumping, she looked around and expected her Nana to be in the kitchen, warming up soup for her to eat. Instead to her panic, she found herself in a completely strange and different place that sent painful shivers down her spine. The room she was in looked more like an office than a bedroom. Pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her quilt around her, the fifteen-year-old girl dared to glance around at her surroundings.

On the other side of the room, a deep brown Mahogany work desk sat shoved in a corner with a film of dust caking its top. Beside the desk was a bookcase that held large, leather bounds books. She bet that if she went over there and opened one up, the pages would smell like dust and mildew. Scattered across the desk, were yellowing, wrinkly papers. In front of the desk, were several pencils and a pencil holder. It looked as it was knocked over when the desk got pushed out of the way.

Flustered and confused, Claire saw the only clean place in this entire room was the area around her couch. Beside her resting place, was a dinner tray, holding a small plate of crackers and a glass of water. At the feet of the tray was her faded pink Messenger bag, quickly reminding the girl to fix her wounds but as she reached for the bag, it hit her.

She did not feel the pain of her wounds anymore. Shaking, the girl lifted her shirt up and blanched when she saw the bandage around her. Did Nana take her to a place to protect her? “Nana?” she called, clutching tightly onto the quilt and swung her legs over the edge of the couch. Dizzy, she dug her fingers into the shabby arm and hoisted herself to her feet. The young teen felt pain as her wounds were pulled as if she had extra weight on her. “Nana?”

Whimpering, Claire walked around the room, trying to force herself not to start crying. Maybe she had been placed in an extra room in her house. Sometimes when Nana was strong enough, she would wake her granddaughter up and take her to a random room in the house, leaving there until she went to get her in the morning. But as she wracked her brain, the raven haired girl found no familiarity with the room. "Is anyone there? Hello!"

"Claire?" a voice called from behind the teen's back. "Is your name Claire?"

Tensing up, she turned around and paled She didn’t know who this man was or why he had locked the door behind but the frightened girl could easily come up to her own conclusions. Did her father finally sell her to get some money back? Or was this just a tactic to break her down and make her a submissive so she wouldn’t fight back against him when beaten?

As the man approached her, Claire backed up, eyes widening. The man before her looked nothing like a woman and child beater was supposed to look. First thing, he was too young with him only being at most his late twenties. They were supposed to be bald or a full head of hair but this man had a brown receding hairline. Unless thing had changed from what she knew and experienced.

Seeing her fear, he cautiously took step forward, raising a hand up to comfort her as he looked at her with dark and soft eyes. This did the opposite of what he hoped. Claire whimpered and flinched, squeezing her eyes briefly shut. “Who are you,” the fifteen-year-old demanded, skirting around the couch to give herself a barrier between the kidnapper and her. “Why do you want with me? Why did you take me? Did my father pay you to do this? Or was it my mother?”

The stranger paused, confused, scratching the back of his head. Why was she acting this way? And why would she think that her mother and father had sent her to him. “Do you remember anything that happened last night?” he cautiously approached her, hand out stretched. “Or should I explain everything to you?”

"What do you mean?" she demanded, voice brittle and cold. She looked at her messenger bag, trying to remember if her old flip phone was still in there. If it was, she could call the police and get the man arrested. Then she could go home back to Nana and sadly Mama and Papi. "Why did you take me? Where am I?"

The man sighed, settling down on a box near the couch. "Let's talk," he explained, patting the couch in front of him. "I will explain everything to you but please calm down. The stress won't help the situation right now."

Claire sniffled, taking a seat in the corner furthest from the man. Hesitantly, she asked. "What's your name?" as she reached for her Messenger Bag. It wouldn’t hurt to play along and check for her flip phone in a vain hope. “I’m Claire Lopez.”

 "My name is Gregory Demayo," the man answered, getting up and going to the other end of the room, and began to dig through the papers. "But I go by Greg Universe."

"Hmm," she said, frowning when she saw her blood sugar only being a sixty. Putting the tester down, the teen dug through her bag until she found a can of Cola. Opening it, she took a few drinks until there was only half a can left than checked her blood sugar again. It was 110 now. "What you looking for," she asked, growing ridged as she lifted up her shirt. "What the bloody hell!"

The man, Greg Universe, turned around as if the shelf was on fire and almost burst into tears of joy when he saw why she screamed. He had immediately thought of the worse when the young girl screamed "Hey," he said, placing the photo album onto the table as he crouched down in front of the sobbing girl. "Everything will be okay. Here me, kid? Just settle down and we can talk about what happened."

"What the hell happen to me?" she demanded, looking at her elder with wide, frightened brown eyes. "Why is my stomach so big? It is like I am pregnant. But that is impossible." She took a ragged breath as she went on. "I didn't do the nasty with anyone yet! I am a virgin. How did this happen."

"Yeah." Greg sighed, unsure. How was she going to explain this to the frightened girl? He barely was able to understand how his former tether, Rose Quartz, had been able to give this young, naive human girl her pregnancy and able to carry the child. There was very little chance of her surviving the birth with the baby being half gem and the girl full human. "It's really hard to explain, and I don't fully understand it myself."

"I don't care if you don't understand!" Claire was to her feet at once, glaring at him. "You will tell me what happened and how I ended up like this! I don't remember a lot from last night but I do remember not being in this condition last night." She placed her fist on her hips, doing the best mother stance that she could. "Now spill it!"

+++

Mr. Universe sighed, turning away from her. "I told you Claire," he began gently. “I beg that you understand but you cannot leave until the baby needs to be breastfed anymore.”

“How long?” the fifteen-year-old said. “How long will that be?”

“At most three years at least two,” the man answered. “What! NO!” The pregnant teen scrambled to her feet, breathless and pale from the shock and from her punishment last night. “You can’t force me to stay here,” she whispered in a scarce voice. “That would be false imprisonment and that is against the law!”

Greg sighed. “Claire don’t you see how different this place is,” the man tried to explain. He willed her to understand and not fight back. “You are in a foreign country, my girl.” Going against her wishes, he grabbed her hands, forcing the girl to look into her eyes. “If I must, I will lock you in that room but I do not want to. If I must, I am only doing it for the safety of you and the baby. This isn’t like the states. There are dangerous creatures running around and people who would attack first and ask questions later.”

“I’m not ready to be a mother,” the distraught girl explained, tearing up. “I’m too young.”

“I could never be ready for this,” Mr. Universe explained, placing a hand on Claire’s belly. “But we can do this together. We can be a crutch for each other and act like a proper mother and father. This child isn’t just mine or Rose’s anymore but also your’s too. This child will need a mother to help raise it. And you will be the baby’s mother.”

Claire wanted to nod in an agreement but something inside her broke, causing her to go over the edge. Ignoring the pain in her wounds, she slid out of the lawn chair. Bursting into tears, she hid her face into her hands at what she had been told. “I want to go home! I want to go home!” she cried, sobs growing louder as she fought to reign in control of her emotions. “I want Nana! I want Nana! Nana! Naan! Nana!”

“Please, don’t cry,” Greg begged softly, crouching down to pull the girl onto his lap. “I understand that you are confused and scared. But please try to calm down and talk to me. Tell me what can I do to help you?”

Claire sobbed harder and clutched onto his shirt as a tentative voice called out, “Greg?”

Claire took a step back from where she stood, tears falling down her face as Mr. Universe turned around to see three beings that were far from human. Their skin colors were way off and they had a magical air around them that would have sent her running if Mr. Universe didn't have hold on her arm. "Who are they?" she whispered, rubbing her sore arm as he released her. "Mr. Universe?" Trembling, she walked uncomfortably to stand by the older man's side. "Are they friends of yours, Mr. Universe?"

The shorter one of the three turned to face her, eyes widening in shock when they landed on her stomach. "Why is this girl here?" the purple one cried, getting the attention of the other two. "Where is Rose at? Where is at, Greg!!" She stalked over to Claire and seized a hold of her dress, yanking her down to the ground with a pained cry. "What did you do to Rose?" she hissed, hatred in her dark eyes. "What did you do to her?"

"I...I...I." The young teen was lost for words. She barely had been able to wrap her brain around what was going on let alone explain it to another person. "I don't know how to explain it," she began, crying out in pain as it stabbed in her stomach. "I don't know how it happened," she went on, sobbing as she placed her hands on the bump. "Please just let me go. I don't know what I did wrong! Please stop!"

The tallest one, an African American lady, stepped forward and seized hold of the smaller one by the back of her shirt. "Amethyst," she said, letting the fighting toddler swinging in the air by her clothes. "That is enough. Stop your yelling for once and focus on the energy around her stomach. I can feel it and so does Pearl." The woman sat the purple toddler, Amethyst, down onto the ground and turned to face Claire. "I am sorry about that but we do need to know where our leader is."

"Easy Claire," Mr. Universe said, rushing over to her before she could get to her feet. "Don't want to hurt the baby now sweetheart." Grabbing ahold of her hand, the older man helped her up and turned to the Crystal Gems. "Let's talk about this inside The Wash. It would be better to get Claire out of the heat and off her feet for a while. She is still adjusting to her knew condition."

"Wait!" The middle alien lady moved forward and stopped the two. "Let me do something." Before Greg or Claire could react, the pale gem placed a hand on the swollen stomach of the girl and closed her eyes, letting her gem glow. "It's Rose's baby. It has the same signature as it does as the last time I checked the it before the attack."

"Let's get inside and I will explain," Mr. Universe said, holding the door for Claire to walk slowly down the long hallway to her makeshift room where she had woken up a few hours before. Once she was on the couch with her feet propped up on a pillow, Greg began to explain everything to the best of his knowledge with the girl adding in when she could.

Everyone remained silent until, the pale one, Pearl, asked softly, "What do we do than?"

**What do you think of how Greg is acting?**

**Who do you think called out to Greg?**

**Answer time again:**

**If you were thrusted into a situation like Claire was, how do you think you would react? Would you react like her or worse?**

 


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire Lopez is a normal high school student until one night she finds dying Rose Quartz in the forest. From that moment on, everything changed in her life. 
> 
> Rebellion leader, Rose Quartz, had no option but to flee from the temple after Homeworld attacked. Lost in the forest and separated from her tether, she knows that she has very little time left and her last hope is giving the most precious thing to the young organic being in the woods, and have her become the safe haven that was needed.
> 
> Unknown to the girl that once she met Rose Quartz, she set in motion her destiny and meeting a certain blue gem that would change everything for her.

 

Once he saw that Claire was passed out on the couch once more, Greg led the Crystal Gems to the loft area in The Wash. It was time to explain to them a proper explanation without having Claire to become upset over what she heard. The tired man trudged slowly over to the ladder and began to climb up not even batting an eyelash when the gems beat him up there.

Once Greg was settled down on the arm chair, the gems took seas on various objects around the room. "What now," Pearl began, sounding distraught and angry. "I can tell that the human being is pregnant but how can she be carrying Rose's baby. She is full human?"

"Yeah. How is it possible?" Amethyst chided in from where she sat on an old cat post to the side of the arm chair. She blinked her black eyes at the human and propped her head up with her hands. "How is a human able to carry a half gem and half human baby?"

The man sighed. He had just gotten there after Rose gave her pregnancy to Claire. His deceased tether had begged him to take care of Claire and the baby. As the last wish for her, Greg was going to do just that. "She placed her hand on her stomach," he explained, rubbing his temple. "There was a bright red light than she begged me to take care of them."

Pearl shook her head, tears falling down her face as she sobbed. Greg had to be lying. There was no way Rose would give some organic creature her pregnancy so the demon spawn could survive while she died. It was just too much to process.

"Why did she give the pregnancy to her?" asked Garnet kindly. The fusion wasn't trying to sound scornful or even hateful but compassionate and understanding. She foresaw that this poor child would have some hard months ahead of her.

"Rose knew that she wasn't going to make it," he said, trying to remember the emotions of his tether's last moments washing over him as he struggled to find her. "The baby was the most precious thing in the world to her. Rose wanted this baby as much as a I did, even more than I did at first." Greg sighed, remembering how hesitant he felt about having a child. To him, his tether's world was filled with strangeness and dangers. He didn't want a kid to be thrusted in that world but her face always lit up when she saw kids but he relented. "The attack of Homeworld had left her weak and she knew that she was dying. The strain of pregnancy and her form damaged enough would have made her pooofed. IF she poofed, Rose would lose the baby. Instead of poofing, she gave up her physical form to transfer her pregnancy to Claire."

Pearl glanced up, pale blue eyes filled with confusion. "Why her though?" she asked, watching as Greg gave a small mute shrug. "What made her stand out to any other organic lifeform that lives on this planet? She looked like an ordinary girl when I saw her. A weak, organic creature that could cry at a drop of a hat."

"Claire is much more than that," Greg said.

"You're her tether," Pearl cried, rising to her full height to loom over Greg in anger and despair. "You could have stopped her!"

"Why did you let her?" Amethyst asked in a soft voice.

"Don't put the blame on me," Greg snapped. "I begged her to take the pregnancy back and just let herself get poofed. We could adopt a child that needed a home or even get a surrogate that would carry the child for us and give birth to the baby. I tried everything that I thought of." Greg stared at them, tears running down his face. "The only thing that is keeping me together now is the fact that I have my tether still here but in a different form! She told me to take care of them and don't let anything to hurt them." The man sighed and hid his face into his hands. "She wanted the baby so much. How could I take it away from her?"

Pearl let out a hysterical laugh, shaking her head. "You are so funny, Mr. Universe," she said bitterly, eyes glowing with malice and anger.

Greg stiffened, immediately knowing what was going to happen and if he didn't act fast enough Claire would be at the receiving end of a spear. "Pearl!" He leaped to his feet and barely managed to block her from going to the ladder but that didn't stop her. The pale gem just slipped to the side and dashed over to the room where Claire was asleep on the couch.

"No!" Greg hurried down the ladder with Amethyst and Garnet still sitting in the loft. They didn't seem to care that Pearl was about to attack an innocent human that was carrying their former leader's baby. "Pearl," he hissed, carefully moving into the room to see Pearl positioned over Claire's stomach with a spear just a mere few inches away.

"One more move and she gets it," the former servant gem hissed, eyes blazing. "If I get rid of the baby, Rose will come back." She raised the spear up to strike. "Besides, I am doing her a favor. This organic creature will die. Gems and organic mass don't mix. It would kill her to live!"

"That's not true," Amethyst said from behind Greg, causing him to leap out of his skin. "There is the moss that Rose created when she tried to heal all the corrupted gems. The plant that she helps bloom every year on the top of the mountain."

Pearl was about to shoot back a comment when the couch groaned, warning them of Claire maybe awake The pale gem glanced at where the young human slept with one of Greg's Mr. Universe shirt on and tucked underneath a quilt that looked homemade except for her mid-section that had come uncovered.

Greg pushed past Pearl, acting as barrier between the helpless girl and the renegade pearl. Crouching down, he gently tucked the blanket around her mid-section and moved her feet back onto the couch. He was about to get up when a sleepy Claire reached for him. "Don't leave Papa," she mumbled, half sleep. "You always sing me the Comet song from Mr. Universe."

"Not to night sweetpea," he said to Claire, placing her hand underneath the cover once more. "Papa is talking to some people. I'll take you up later for some breakfast from the donut place."

"Okay," she huffed, falling back to sleep as Greg sighed.

As he got up, Greg stared at the young girl. He could still hear her screeching cries as she called out for her father and mother and how scared she was. But now she looked so helpless and delicate as if a leaf fell on her, she would shatter to pieces. "Out," he ordered in a hiss, pushing Pearl out of the room and softly closing the door until it was ajar enough.

"Rose is gone for good," Pearl whispered, looking at where the soft snores of Claire could be heard. "Rose is dead..."

Amethyst glanced at Greg, tears spilling down her eyes. "What made this girl stand out," she whispered, pleading for some sort of answer from her former leader's tether. "Why her? Why not someone that was from this country instead of the states like. You!"

Greg took a deep breath and closed his eyes, releasing it as he calmed himself down. He didn't want to do something that would make the gems take Claire away and leaving alone to deal about the death of his tether. Losing his temper at a moment like this was not a good idea.

The man was not prepared for the screeching that came from Amethyst. He almost fell out of the chair he was sitting in as his heart thumped, startled by the sudden noise. The purple gem glanced at the human, tears streaming down her small face. "You are lying," she rasped, begging him for the truth. "Rose wouldn't give the pregnancy to a human! She just wouldn't."

Greg sighed. "I am sorry but that is the truth," he said, watching silently as the little gem crumpled down beside his feet and sobbed like a toddler.

Garnet had risen from where she was sitting on a table, looking lost and upset. Pearl had barely managed to hold herself up by digging the sharp end of her spear into the wooden floor to support herself. A look of scorn was on her face. "Really."

A few minutes of silence passed until suddenly Amethyst rise to her feet, wiping the tears away with the back of her sleeve. "She looks pretty useless," she sneered, glancing coldly at the direction where Claire was mumbling in her sleep. "Nothing special about her. I hope that she dies giving birth to the baby. That will be her punishment for taking Rose away from us."

"Hey!" Greg was to his feet at once. He didn't care if the Crystal Gems had shouted slanders and threats in his direction. He was an adult and he knew could handle them grieving over the loss of their mother figure and leader. But this time there was another person that was getting thrusted into the middle and the father to be was not going to let someone so innocent, so brave like Claire get onslaughts attacked at her when she was in such a delicate state. "Yes, Claire is a human," he began, looking at the three of them and saw their shocked looks. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl never expected him to stand up for the person that took his tether away from him. "She doesn't seem to appear like a fighter but in my option she has courage that would rival any of yours in a heartbeat. She is not useless and saved the life of my and Rose's baby."

Pearl snorted had shook her head. Garnet remained silent, not seeing how a human could be brave as a gem solider who fought in a five-thousand-year war. Buy it was the youngest one gem who spoke. She had been closer to humans than her teammates and knew firsthand how brave a human could me. "How," she asked, glancing up at Greg. "I've seen humans act even braver than gems."

"If you have been their last night, you would have been stunned," he explained, remembering last night. He had been stunned that she would have ran through the water to help Rose and not even know her. "It was winter in her part of the states. She only a night shirt on and a messenger bag but that didn't stop her from going into the freezing waters to help my tether. By the time I got there, Rose was already starting to disappear but I could see what happened through the tether bond."

"Why didn't you help her?" Garnet and Pearl asked in union.

Greg rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. "Look," he said, glancing at the gems. "I know it is hard that you lost Rose earlier than expecting but there is someone who will need all four of us now. Claire is just a scared little girl who was pulled into a world that she understands nothing about and will be need to be taught what a gem is and who Rose was. You might not like her even resent her but overtime you will learn to like or at least keep it hidden from her knowledge. She is in a delicate position right now and her hormones are going to go in overdrive for a few long months since she was thrusted into eight months in terms of a human pregnancy."

The Crystal Gems remained silent as if they were unsure about the situation. Pearl glanced at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact. Amethyst hid her face into her arms and let her hair fall over the edge of the scratching post. Garnet looked dazed and confused as she stared into thin air. Finally, the fusion turned to face Greg and say, "We will try out best to help Claire through her pregnancy and teach her about gem culture and history. Rose would have wanted it, and we will do her final wish."

**What do you think of how the gems reacted?**

**Do you think that Amethyst was right to bully Claire?**

**Where you surprise by Greg's outburst at the slanders thrown at Claire?**

**Answer Time:**

**IF you were Greg, how would you react to Pearl threatening to kill Steven and threaten the safety of Claire? Howl would you react to Amethyst throwing slanders at the sleeping girl?**


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire Lopez is a normal high school student until one night she finds dying Rose Quartz in the forest. From that moment on, everything changed in her life. 
> 
> Rebellion leader, Rose Quartz, had no option but to flee from the temple after Homeworld attacked. Lost in the forest and separated from her tether, she knows that she has very little time left and her last hope is giving the most precious thing to the young organic being in the woods, and have her become the safe haven that was needed.
> 
> Unknown to the girl that once she met Rose Quartz, she set in motion her destiny and meeting a certain blue gem that would change everything for her.

The next morning, Claire was woken up by Greg so he could change her bandages and help her take a bath. It was rather embarrassing but she was grateful for his help. The fifteen-year-old was surprised by the fact that she was trusting him enough to help her get ready. She didn’t understand why but she was starting to trust him and relax around him. “What’s for breakfast?” she asked once she was sitting down in the front of the van with her belt on. “And where are we going? Any plans yet for the day?”

Greg pulled his car to a stop in front of a place called The Big Donut and hopped out. He walked around to Claire’s side and helped her out. “For today, it’s going to be a junk food day. I have to get some groceries from the store.”

“Donuts are fine,” the girl said, walking inside as the bell chimed, causing Claire to hide behind Greg in terror. “What was that?”

The man shook his head, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders. “It was just a bell, darling,” he said, seeing the eyes of the owner of the place looking at her. Turning back to Claire, he could see how they acted like a couple but Greg saw her more as a daughter who had been through unspeakable things by her wounds and how she acted. He had been more surprised that she was already trusting her but Garnet had thought it was that she was feeling the effects of carrying Rose’s baby and having some of the tether bond left. “What do you want?” the twenty-six-year-old asked as he led the frightened teenager over to the display case. “We’ll get you a baker’s dozen of what you want.”

“Can I get a white glazed donut?” Claire asked softly, placing a hand on the spot where the donut was. “I haven’t had one of this since I’ve been in the sixth grade. I wonder if they’re good as I remember.”

“Two baker’s dozens of glazed donuts please,” Greg said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “You’ll be spending time with the gems today while I work on cleaning up your room. It’s a mess and not a good place for you to sleep.”

“Welcome,” the pale gem said once Claire had settled on a smooth stone in front of a metal door. “Today, we’ll be learning about Gems, how they are made, and fusion.” The alien lady turned towards a awkwardly placed chalkboards that held a white sheet over it and a protector was placed to the right of Claire. “I am Pearl, and for lesson one, we’re going to talk about what gems are.”

The alien lady, Pearl, clicked on a clicker ad three blurry images came cross the sheet. Claire scooted close slightly to reveal it was three gems. One was blue while the other two were red and purple. “Simplified down to our basic form, Gems are, well just gems. Our bodies are actually-.”

She paused along enough to let the other two members, whom introduced themselves as Garnet and Amethyst, before she continued on.

“…projections generated by our gemstone,” the pale gem went on. “Think of it like a hologram but with mass.”

The shorter one, Amethyst, glanced at the taller one, Garnet. “Nice mass,” she joked, smiling slyly.

Garnet chuckled, realizing her joke. “I know,” she said, causing Claire to brush brightly.

“Ahem!” Pearl gestured to Claire. They weren’t there to make her uncomfortable, rather than there to help her understand the world that she had been thrusted into because of Rose Quartz.

“Sorry human,” Amethyst said, smiling sheepishly.

“You’ll get used to it,” Garnet said, fixing her visor to reflect the girl’s blushing face. “There is much more stuff that is said around us.”

“Anyway!” Pearl stepped forward, cheeks bright blue. “Though Gems are extraordinary resilient, if they’re seriously hurt, they will release their physical form…”

Claire glanced over to Garnet and Amethyst when she heard a loud, “yow!” Her single brown eye widened as she saw the purple girl to be gone and her gem only to be replaced.

“….and poof back to their gem,” the pale alien lady finished.

“This way, they can most efficiently put all their energy into regenerating themselves.” Pearl clicked the clicker, causing the picture to change to a room filled with bubble gems. “And when a gem is reduced to its gemstone, it can be contained in a bubble or trapped in an object, making it impossible to reform.”

The fifteen-year-old let out a gasp, tears spilling out both of her eyes. “I-i-is she going to reform,” she asked, looking at Amethyst’s gem.

“As long as the gemstone isn’t damaged,” Pearl said. “The Gem will be able to reaerate.”

“Ta-da!” Once reformed, Amethyst stepped in front of Claire. “Check me out! I’m as good as new!”

Suddenly the mood grew somber and dark. “But if a Gem’s gemstone is cracked…” She paused as Amethyst suddenly grew a third arm on her head. “Thing get really weird.”

“And if a Gem’s gem is shattered completely,” Pearl began, causing Claire’s heart to thump in her chest. “They will cease to be.”

 

Claire let out a long yawn as she stumbled over to her bedroom. She turned the handle and froze when she flicked the light on. The room was completely different than it was before she left.

The couch was now pushed up under the window with her quilt and a pillow resting on the middle cushion. Next to the couch was a small side table and the tray was next to where her head rested. The one dusty desk was now facing the bookcase and had new pencils and papers stacked at the end. The leather bound books were gone and were several baby books and a few notebooks for her to use. “Wow,” she gasped, walking in and placing the box of donuts onto the side table. “This is amazing.”

“I’m glad that you like it,” Greg said from where he was placing a box of the leather bound books in the corner. “It took a while to get everything clean but it will be worth it. Once you get further along, I’ll start moving the garbage and books into the dumpster out back to make room for the crib and everything else the kid is going to need.”

“So any plans for tonight?” Claire asked, unsure. It was only 5 in the evening but already she was tired. “Or do you need help around The Wash?”

Greg shook his head. “I was thinking of going to the free movie that is being shown down at the boardwalk,” the business owner explained. “It’s an older from the 2020’s. Some sappy love story but a movie playing in this small of town is rare. So I’ll take to see a movie whenever one is playing in town. Do you want to come with?”

The fifteen-year-old was about to answer when a yawn parted her mouth. Once it was done, she blushed embarrassed.

Mr. Universe let out a chuckle. “I will take that as no,” he said, shaking his head. “There is some Chinese in the fridge in the break room. Just warm it up in the fridge or if you want a piece or two of pizza, there is a pizza place a block north.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, placing the pillow at where she slept and laid down, covering her body with the quilt, closing her eyes.

_She was surrounded by tall grass and pink flowers. Walking forward, she pushed the grass out of her way and bent down, examining one closer. The flower was a deep pink with a jagged red pattern around the yellow stem. “Beautiful,” she whispered, reaching out to grab it._

_As she touched the flower, she heard a distant voice calling out, “Claire! Claire!”_

Claire blinked her eyes open. She propped herself up against the arm behind her and looked at Greg. “Hmm,” she mumbled, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

“You hungry, darling?” he asked, holding up the pizza box. “I checked in the fridge and saw the Chinese was still there. So I went to the pizza place, and got you some food. It’s Ham and cheese. Is that alright, or do you wat something else?”

“Hmm.” Claire shook her head as she stretched. “I never had that combination before so I’ll try some.” She took the box and grabbed a small slice, starving. “I fell asleep around five and just woke up now. I don’t know what time it is.”

Greg glanced at the clock over the door. “Oh, gee,” he said, taking the pizza time. “It’s late. I think one slice of pizza than back to bed with you. You need your sleep with the baby and all.”

Claire picked at her pizza until Mr. Universe came back with a glass of milk for her. Setting it on the tray next to her couch, he sat at the other end. “How was the movie?” she asked, taking a drink of milk. “Was it good or cheesy?”

“Eh, you didn’t miss much.” Greg covered her back up with her quilt. “Turns out the alien person was abducting babies because, theirs not swapped with one when they were fleeing from war.”

She went to take another bite of food but stopped. “Greg, before you go, can I ask you something?”

Greg looked at from where he stood at the doorway. “Yeah,” he said, leaning against the door frame. “What is it?”

“Even if Ms. Rose wasn’t dying..” She paused, placing the crust of the pizza onto her lap. “And you found me in the forest would have you still took me in?”

“Yes,” the brown haired man answered honestly. “I know Rose would want to save you from whatever person hurt you enough to cause you to past out as you did.”

Claire glanced at him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said, going back over to her and tucking the blanket around her, taking the pizza crust from her. “Good night, Claire.”

“Good night, Mr. Universe.”


End file.
